On Monday, one candidate for West Virginia House of Delegates stood on a street corner holding up his campaign sign, typical for candidates before an election. This candidate had an assistant who held up a “No Data Center” sign. There are currently no plans for a data center in our community like in other places in the Shale Crescent USA region. If a data center was planned for Elkview, I would be concerned. I know data centers are essential to our everyday lives and national security. “No data centers” anywhere is irresponsible and dangerous. This candidate was defeated. Ways need to be found to co-exist like we do with other things. Automobiles are dangerous and kill thousands every year. We don’t ban them. We set up regulations and laws on how and where to use them.

After the pandemic started, I was a guest on the University of Colorado’s student radio station discussing why the pandemic showed us that “made in America” is now essential. The student host told his audience, “We don’t like gas wells or petrochemical plants. But we like our skis, cars, cell phones and climbing ropes. If we are going to have those things, doesn’t it make sense they are made in the USA under our environmental laws and provide jobs for us.” The young host understood a bigger picture than many adults. People in the European Union (EU) did not quit buying plastic products, cars, cell phones, or medical devices when they chose to create strict environmental and carbon regulations. They just bought the products from other countries like China whose environmental law was weaker than the EU’s. The EU gave up the jobs created by producing those products. Sending manufacturing to China did not help the planet. Americans use products and information from data centers every day whether they realize it or not. We need to figure out how we can have data centers and avoid the problems associated with them.

A good place to start is knowing what a data center is and why they are important. A data center is a facility that houses networked computers, storage systems, and computing infrastructure. They are the backbone of the internet, cloud computing, and AI. When we send a photo or file to “the cloud,” it is going to a data center. (Not a real cloud in the sky.) Data centers enable streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime. They make email and AI possible. The USA currently has over 3,000 data centers with more planned because of the rapid growth of AI. When we do a search on Google, Safari, or other platforms we are using AI. When I finish a Zoom call, AI summarizes it.

AI is essential for our military. Data centers are considered critical infrastructure for AI application in battlefield simulations, target identification, and logistics. All branches of the military are planning data centers on military installations. Our military understands winning the AI race is critical because it produces unmatched decision-making speed, autonomous weapon coordination, and enhanced battlefield awareness. This is sounding like Star Wars Attack of the Clones.